Craft Bank, a brewery based in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto, is selling FRESH BANK IPA, a seasonal 350ml can priced at ¥700. The beer’s main hop is 2026 Chinook grown and harvested in Yosano, Kyoto.

FRESH BANK IPA, also known as F.B.I., is a fresh-hop variation of Craft Bank’s flagship BANK IPA. Yosano is working to develop its community through hop cultivation, and during Craft Bank’s fourth-anniversary event, participants visited the town and harvested freshly picked Yosano hops together. That experience became part of the beer’s story.

The beer highlights the green, vibrant character associated with fresh hops. Citrus and pine-like aromas complement the hop profile, creating a refreshing IPA designed to showcase the season’s harvest. Compared with conventionally dried hops, fresh hops offer a distinctive expression of place and timing.

The label artwork was created by Myuyap, who illustrated the people involved in the anniversary event. The artwork reflects Craft Bank’s community-focused spirit, portraying the brewery’s growing network of friends and collaborators as something with the limitless expansion of a galaxy.

Craft Bank operates from a former bank building about five minutes on foot from Fukuchiyama Station. The founders renovated the building themselves and transformed it into a brewery and brewpub. Their guiding phrase, “Let’s do something over a beer,” captures their aim to use beer as a starting point for encounters, conversations, and new projects.

From the hop fields of Yosano to the brewery in Fukuchiyama, FRESH BANK IPA brings together a local harvest and the people who helped make it happen. It is a seasonal IPA to enjoy for both its fresh green character and the regional connections behind the can.